“Ever since I was little I was always big into sports, but back then I dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player and I resented my parents for making me go to basketball practice. That was true up until the point I broke my leg in the fifth grade and realized that I missed playing basketball a lot more than I missed playing soccer. After that I put everything into basketball and quit all of the other sports I played in order to be the best in the sport I loved. A lot of my motivation and love for the game of basketball comes from the fact that I hate losing more than anything else in the world. Competitiveness has pushed me to the place I am today and continues to push me everyday. My dad is one of the key factors that has made me so competitive. He spent countless hours with me in the gym and has kept the game so fun for so many years. Another huge influence on my love for basketball was my former club coach. She pushed me to my limits everyday and never laid off of me. Although sometimes we didn’t see eye to eye and she would yell at me to the point where I believed I was the worst player ever, I know nobody believes in me more than she does. Probably the most amazing thing about basketball is the life long friends you make. Being able to do the thing I love most with the people I know is the most unbelievable feeling I have ever experienced. I get to travel the country with my team and make unforgettable memories while I play in tournaments in front of dozens of division one coaches. Probably the thing I love most about basketball is that after my career is over and I move on to the more serious part of life I will always have my teammates by my side for the rest of my life.”